The Generalizability of Older Adult Self-Report (OASR) Syndromes of Psychopathology Across 20 Societies

OBJECTIVES: As the world population ages, psychiatrists will increasingly need instruments for measuring constructs of psychopathology that are generalizable to diverse elders. The study tested whether syndromes of co-occurring problems derived from self-ratings of psychopathology by US elders would fit self-ratings by elders in 19 other societies. METHODS/DESIGN: The Older Adult Self-Report (OASR) was completed by 12,826 60- to 102-year-olds in 19 societies from North and South America, Asia, and Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Europe, plus the US. Individual and multi-group confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) tested the fit of the 7-syndrome OASR model, consisting of the Anxious/Depressed, Worries, Somatic Complaints, Functional Impairment, Memory/Cognition Problems, Thought Problems, and Irritable/Disinhibited syndromes. RESULTS: In individual CFAs, the primary model fit index showed good fit for all societies, while the secondary model fit indices showed acceptable to good fit. The items loaded strongly on their respective factors, with a median item loading of .63 across the 20 societies; and 98.7% of the loadings were statistically significant. In multi-group CFAs, 98% of items demonstrated approximate or full metric invariance. Fifteen percent of items demonstrated approximate or full scalar invariance and another 59% demonstrated scalar invariance across more than half of societies. CONCLUSIONS: The findings supported the generalizability of OASR syndromes across societies. The seven syndromes offer empirically-based clinical constructs that are relevant for elders of different backgrounds. They can be used to assess diverse elders, and as a taxonomic framework to facilitate communication, services, research and training in geriatric psychiatry. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

International comparisons of behavioral and emotional problems in preschool children: parents’ reports from 24 societies

International comparisons were conducted of preschool children’s behavioral and emotional problems as reported on the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½–5 by parents in 24 societies (N¼19,850). Item ratings were aggregated into scores on syndromes; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–oriented scales; a Stress Problems scale; and Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems scales. Effect sizes for scale score differences among the 24 societies ranged from small to medium (3–12%). Although societies differed greatly in language, culture, and other characteristics, Total Problems scores for 18 of the 24 societies were within 7.1 points of the omnicultural mean of 33.3 (on a scale of 0–198). Gender and age differences, as well as gender and age interactions with society, were all very small (effect sizes<1%). Across all pairs of societies, correlations between mean item ratings averaged .78, and correlations between internal consistency alphas for the scales averaged .92, indicating that the rank orders of mean item ratings and internal consistencies of scales were very similar across diverse societies

Nationwide content analysis of undergraduate obstetrics and gynaecology clinical curricula in Turkish medical schools

The aim was to perform a document content analysis of the subject titles in the undergraduate obstetrics and gynaecology (OG) curricula in Turkish medical schools regarding the National Core Curriculum revised in 2014 (NCC-2014). Two mini-focus group discussions with four voluntary OG faculty members in each session and one of the authors as the moderator were employed within a 1-week time frame to identify the primary (n = 36) and secondary (n = 15) NCC-2014 OG titles that were then compared for the alignment with the curricula of the various medical schools published on their website. The internet search and data analyses were each completed within 3 months. Overall, about 80% and 23% of primary and secondary OG topics were present in 54 medical schools, respectively. Teaching sessions on high-risk pregnancy and ovarian cancer were present in all of the curricula. Chromosomal disorders (11 schools), candidiasis/vaginal discharge (13 schools) and female sexual dysfunction (15 schools) were the least represented primary topics. None of the curricula had a title on neural tube defects or oncological emergencies. Obesity (one school), iron deficiency anaemia (four schools), genitourinary trauma (four schools) and domestic violence (four schools) were among the underrepresented secondary subject titles. This nationwide analysis revealed deficiencies in undergraduate OG core curricular content of the medical schools

Emotional and Behavioral Problems Associated with Attachment Security and Parenting Style in Adopted and Non-Adopted Children

Objective: This study aimed to investigate and compare emotional and behavioral problems in Turkish adoptees and non-adopted peers raised by their biological parents

Emotional and behavioral problems in relation with the attachment securities of adopted vs. non-adopted children and the child rearing practices of their parents

Objective: This study aimed to investigate and compare emotional and behavioral problems in Turkish adoptees and non-adopted peers raised by their biological parents

Leisure Awareness of Primary School Teachers: The Case of Izmir

WOS: 000424162200027Leisure is a period of time spent out work, in which individuals can rest, enjoy and perform self-realization. The effective leisure spending, which appeared after the Industrial Revolution, is important not only for adults but also for children. It is through the socialization process that individuals gain attitudes and behaviours regarding leisure. As to the orientation towards this process, the primary school and the primary school teacher, as role models, are considered the foremost ones among all agents of socialization. In this context, this study aims at revealing the leisure awareness of primary school teachers. Within this framework the research is designed as a mixed method in which qualitative and quantitative research methods are used together. Data was gathered through a measurement tool developed by the researchers. The measurement tool is composed of a personal information form with demographic questions; a 5-likert-type close-ended questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview form with open-ended questions. The study group consists of 7 8 classroom teachers who are working in Bornova, Bayrakli, Cigli and Konak, some of the central districts of Izmir. The quantitative data of the study was analysed through SPSS 20.0 software. For each item, descriptive analyses such as frequency and percentage; and statistical analyses such as independent sample t-test, Pearson Chi-Square and Pearson Correlation were performed. In the analysis of the qualitative data, descriptive analysis technique was used. The findings of the study point out that most of the primary school teachers who are married and/or have children agree with the idea that family and leisure time strengthened family ties. It was also found that a huge gap in gender roles, emerged as an outcome of culture, had some reflections upon the leisure descriptions of the primary school teachers. Especially the female teachers expressed that they lack leisure due to housework and domestic responsibilities. It was determined that the primary school teachers did not mention any significant motivation for leisure. Finally, the research has shown that the primary school teachers are highly insufficient in orienting their students about leisure assessment

Diaminocyclohexane-Functionalized/Thioglycolic Acid-Modified Gold Nanoparticle-Based Colorimetric Sensing of Trinitrotoluene and Tetryl

Detection of explosive residues in soil and postblast debris is an important issue in sensor design for environmental and criminological purposes. An easy-to-use and low-cost gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based colorimetric sensor was developed for the determination of nitroaromatic explosives, i.e., trinitrotoluene (TNT) and tetryl, capable of analyte detection at picomolar (pM) levels. The sensor nanoparticles were synthesized by functionalizing the negatively charged thioglycolic acid (TGA)-modified AuNPs with positively charged (+/-)-trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DACH) at a carefully calculated pH. The working principle of the sensor is charge-transfer (CT) interaction between the electron-rich free amino (-NH2) group of DACH and the electron-deficient -NO2 groups of TNT/tetryl, added to possible nanoparticle agglomerization via electrostatic interaction of TNT-Meisenheimer anions with more than one cationic DACH-modified AuNP. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of the sensor were 1.76 pM and 5.87 pM for TNT and 1.74 pM and 5.80 pM for tetryl, respectively. TNT, tetryl, and tetrytol, extracted from a nitroaromatic explosive-contaminated soil sample, were determined with the proposed sensor, yielding good recoveries. The sensor could be selectively applied to various mixtures of TNT with common energetic materials such as RDX, HMX, and PETN. Additionally, common soil ions (Cl-, NO3-, SO42-, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, and Al3+) as well as detergents, sugar, sweeteners, acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), caffeine, and paracetamol-based painkiller drugs, which may be used as camouflage materials for explosives, either had no adverse effects or removable interferences on the detection method. The developed method was statistically validated against a GC-MS literature method